A three-year starter, Butler is the most tenured player on the defensive unit…will enter the fall as the starter at weak-side linebacker…enjoyed his best collegiate season last year…needs 65 tackles to move into the school’s career top 10 tackles list…his first tackle-for-loss in 2006 will place him 10th in school history…also needs just three sacks to crack the school’s top 10 list…holds the school record for sacks in a game (3.5).

2005 Season: Earned honorable mention all-Big Sky honors as an inside linebacker…was named the team’s Defensive MVP…started all 11 games at middle linebacker…ranked fourth on the team with 59 total tackles…led the squad with 6.5 sacks for a combined loss of 36 yards…established the school record after tallying 3.5 sacks against Eastern Washington…the previous mark of three had been held by four players…recorded at least two tackles in all 11 games, including a season-high 10 against UC Davis…followed that effort with eight stops (four solo) against Northern Arizona…also added two sacks in the win over the Lumberjacks…intercepted his first career pass against Cal and returned it four yards…averaged 6.4 tackles per game over the last eight contests…during that span, he had seven tackles against both Montana and Idaho State, and six against Weber State and Eastern Washington.

2004 Season: Started all 10 games in which he appeared…began the season at middle linebacker and recorded one tackle at Nevada before leaving the game with a concussion…after missing one game, shifted to strong-side linebacker where he started the final nine games of the year…ended the season with 56 tackles…had at least one tackle in all 10 games and had seven contests with at least five stops…top performance came against Cal Poly where he had 11 tackles and recovered a fumble…had seven stops, including a sack, against Portland State…had three solo tackles and five assists in the win over Montana State…that total included a tackle-for-loss…concluded the season with four TFLs…recovered a fumble at Eastern Washington and was credited with a pass breakup at UC Davis.

2003 Season: Appeared in all 11 games as a linebacker and on special teams...finished the season with nine tackles, including five solos...recorded a season-best three tackles (one solo) against Montana…earned the start at middle linebacker against Saint Mary’s…on special teams, he ranked third on the team with five returns for 59 yards…all of those returns were taken on squib kicks.

High School: A 2003 graduate of Bishop O’Dowd High School in Oakland, Calif...competed in football, basketball and track...in football, he was used as a strong safety, inside linebacker, outside linebacker, running back, fullback and long snapper...a three-time all-Hayward Area Athletic League selection...earned first team all-HAAL and second team all-Alameda Newspaper Group honors after his senior season...best single-game effort came against Tennyson HS where he had four touchdowns.

Personal: Born 9-4-84...a child development major…his father, Charles, played collegiately at Boise State and one season with the Seattle Seahawks.